


You are the best thing

by Minne_My



Category: Holby City
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Femslash, Fluff and Smut, Sex Toys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:49:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 7,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23250487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Minne_My/pseuds/Minne_My
Summary: AU. Travel writer meets travel agent. What will happen next?
Relationships: Serena Campbell/Bernie Wolfe
Comments: 40
Kudos: 124





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the Swedish film 'Medicinen'
> 
> Featuring long haired Serena  
> Both are 45

Travel writer. What a joke. Bernie hadn't been able to travel very far recently. Not since the accident. She was starting to hate her workplace for making her write about humdrum destinations. A divorced mother with limited resources, how was she to afford a holiday but from the win from the competition she hoped to achieve? A family holiday in the sun. Menorca. They'd never been to Spain.

She sighed and tapped her pen absentmindedly to a tuneless beat.

'Will you stop that?'

'Sorry.'

It was a small office ruled by the gorgon Connie Beauchamp and Bernie thoroughly disliked her. Her colleagues were nice. Jasmine was fashion and beauty, Donna was sex and relationships and their lone male, Raf did the food scene. Bernie thought that a woman close to her age like Connie would foster a more easy-going atmosphere but no such luck. Accompanied by her French bulldog Sacha, she sat in her office and eyeballed them with menace, tore them to shreds in meetings, made Bernie decide every week that she'd look for a new job.

It took another dull month until she got the letter that she had won. The holiday in Menorca was theirs! Out of all the applicants, the dice was spun in their favour, Lady Luck had spat in their direction. She could take Cam and Lottie on holiday!

Getting the time off wasn't so easy, however, no matter how much holiday time she had left.

'It's a bit short notice.'

Connie twirled her pen in fake contemplation.

'I won it. In a competition.'

Connie gave her an evil stare.

'Showing some initiative at last. What angle will you write it from? The guide to menopausal meandering?'

Bernie tried not to let her annoyance show. She wasn't menopausal yet. Connie obviously hated getting older.

'It's a family holiday. I'll be taking my children.'

'Are they not a bit too old to go holidaying with mama?'

Bernie didn't take the bait.

'Not if mama gets them a good hotel. Which is all-inclusive.'

'Ah, children, the same the world over no matter how old they are.'

Connie shared a suspiciously chummy glance with Bernie, having an almost teenage daughter herself. Bernie risked a smile back at the rarity of the situation. A fleeting moment of camaraderie that appeared once in a blue moon.

Blue moon over, Connie instructed her to think of good headlines and perhaps a challenge to liven up the article.

Bernie promised she would, pretending that she would brainstorm it. She had no idea whatsoever.


	2. Chapter 2

She saw the purple lights across the road and hesitated. Why not? The children were with their father and she had the evening to herself. She felt too old for a nightclub but then she wouldn't need ID, would she?

The sturdy bouncer at the door waved her in and so into the murky underworld she approached. It looked the same as any other club except that it was populated exclusively by women. Even the bartenders were women. There was a woman on either side of her. The one on her left looked round at her. Bernie looked at the bottles on the shelf, picked her favourite whiskey and ordered it. She observed as she sipped. Her realisation coincided with the lighting upon the change of song. Of course it was a gay club. What an idiot she was. She turned back and saw the woman next to her glancing again. Bernie smiled uncertainly. The woman tipped her glass towards her and Bernie clinked.

She was drinking red wine. The light glinted on her chestnut hair, skimmed down her red top and landed on her leopard print kitten heels. Coincidentally, Bernie's gaze went with it. The woman smiled and preened slightly. Bernie's thoughts diverted uncharacteristically to whether the woman's red lips were as soft as they looked. She found out later when she incurred a scratch to the hand while they were shuffling about on the dance floor. The other woman took her hand to kiss the injury as an apology. Her turquoise ring was the culprit but Bernie didn't care, her skin tingled with the contact, something she'd not felt in forever. The closer they got, the more she felt alight from the inside out. The whiskey had something to do with it but physical contact most certainly attributed to it.

Two drinks down and they called it a night. They were too old for this.

Bernie only caught her name once she'd stepped into her flat.

'I don't normally go home with strange women' she mildly protested.

'I bet you say that to all of them.'

Bernie honked her trademark laugh, something that Serena found charming.

'Not quite' she said, shaking her head.

'Well I'm glad you made an exception for me.'

Bernie gave up. She wouldn't pretend to resist any further. She wanted it and Serena knew she wanted it.


	3. Chapter 3

'I can't say I've had it like that before.'

They lay in Serena's luxurious bed, pleasantly panting with exertion.

'You could get used to it though?'

Serena's cheeky question made Bernie laugh, something she hadn't gotten used to in a while. She swivelled her head to meet Serena's frank gaze.

'I mean it. I've never done anything like this before either. I'm divorced.'

'So am I.'

'Oh?'

'My friend Fleur took me a Pride a couple of years ago. She's a rampant homo. She claims that she's disappointed that she can't convince me to take her seriously but really, we're too similar in some ways, it would never have worked. So she's worked hard to convince me to look at other women and somehow she managed it. I must have had that inner lesbian in me the whole time. My ex-husband would tell you otherwise but he's a raging alcoholic so never mind him.'

Bernie had to think about the concept of having an inner lesbian.

'But how would you know? If you've only been married to a man.'

'The realisation comes to you eventually. Personally, I wish it had come quicker. It doesn't negate your previous relationships or make you wish your children were never born but it makes you think about things differently. Especially if you've never known anything else.'

'I've never known anything else.'

'Sex life got boring?'

'Well I suppose it was always boring. I just never realised how much. I mean, the things you were doing to me was just…I never thought I would experience that. I've never really been interested in sex. I've never understood what the big deal was. It's never been unbearable; it just never did anything for me.'

'He clearly wasn't the right person for you. Have you dated anyone else?'

'No, I couldn't muster the interest. I feel like I'm too old for that.'

'Don't be silly. Don't you know that 40 is the new 30? I'm going to assume you're around my age.'

'45.'

'That's about right. We're still young.'

'I don't know where I'd start.'

'Well you just have. If you want to explore your sapphic side, you started in a good enough place.'

'Is it really naive to say that I've had the best sex of my life so far right now?'

Serena's laugh was a bright light in Bernie's ears.

'It is a little but I'm not complaining. If you wanted to start with me, I'd be more than happy. And if you want a repeat of five minutes ago, it'll be the same answer.'

Suddenly Bernie felt some sort of hot flush coming on. Hopefully not of the menopausal kind. The thought that she would like to reciprocate was beginning to play on her mind but she was apprehensive of trying. As if she could read her mind, Serena leaned over, kissed her and told her that she wasn't obliged to decide on anything just yet. Although Serena was making it hard for her, diving between her thighs and applying her tongue just so, in order to entice the oddest sounds from Bernie's throat. She'd never burned so hot for a sexual encounter before. But then she'd never had an orgasm with another person before.


	4. Chapter 4

She'd expected it to be awkward, not having had a one-night-stand before. Was it normal to be served coffee? She had read that the traditional thing to do was run before the other person woke up. But Serena didn't give her a chance to do that. It felt very different to be spooned by a woman. The breasts had to be accommodated but there was no irritating poking in the nether regions to be had. Bernie hated being disturbed in the morning with an unwitting erection. She always had to try to move away without hurting Marcus's feelings and that was difficult enough as it was. She raised her head up from the pillow and squinted at the bedside clock, noting that she wasn't going to be late for work. Good.

Having signalled that she was conscious; Serena murmured a good morning, slid an exploratory hand that had been resting on Bernie's thigh, further down and started off another chain reaction that led to Bernie's first morning orgasm. And what an experience that was. She was still only half awake with her face half buried in the pillow but being lightly pinned down and at the mercy of those skilful fingers was much more fun than doing it herself. Unfortunately it proved difficult to get out of bed after, she was so warm, satisfied and somewhat sleepy. Serena gave her a few more minutes and then smacked her bum lightly to get her attention.

'Get up, I'll make coffee. You strike me as a hot and strong black coffee woman to me.'

Bernie mumbled an 'aye aye' and shifted herself with a few grumbles. It had been a very long time since she'd felt achy the next morning.

The hasty breakfast wasn't awkward. The coffee was delicious, the toast was welcoming and Serena was distracting. It was really rather lovely.

As was the goodbye kiss she received on the way out. She felt all warm and tingly.

Until a cough from across the hall interrupted. Bernie could feel herself blushing as she turned around. She couldn't believe it. Of all the people she had to run into, it had to be Raf.

'Oh, hi.' Wow, she sounded like an idiot.

He looked between the two women with raised eyebrows and a suspiciously gleeful smile. Bernie's heart thudded at the thought of him knowing anything about her. She purposely gave very little information about herself at work.

'Morning Ms Campbell.'

'Morning Raf.'

'Do you two know each other?' He asked.

Bernie hesitated. Serena said yes.

'Do you two know each other?' She asked.

'Ms Wolfe and I work together' he explained.

Bernie decided that staying silent was her best bet. Until they turned to look at her.

'Erm…well.'

'Serena's my neighbour.' He indicated the door opposite.

Fuck. Just her luck. She knew that her face revealed her panic.

'Alright, well I have to go home and prepare for work. I'll speak to you soon.' She had Serena's number and she thought she'd like to call her. Just not in front of Raf who was grinning far too much for her liking. She was conscious of it even through Serena's extra goodbye kiss, mercifully brief. Then she vanished as quickly as she could, not wanting Raf to accompany her and interrogate. She really didn't want him to gossip to the others about seeing her snogging another woman after an obvious hook-up.


	5. Chapter 5

The next meeting livened things up a bit, considering that it was only a couple of hours after breakfast. Bernie hoped she didn't look like she'd been out all night having fantastic sex with a stranger.

'I was thinking about writing an article on lesbian sex.'

Spoke too soon. Bernie was glad she'd put down her mug first. Everyone turned round to look at Donna.

'A set of articles about lesbian relationships or bisexual women in same sex relationships, that kind of thing. Mix it up a bit.'

Jasmine was nodding in agreement, Bernie just stared at her. Everything was snowballing and she didn't know where to turn.

'Later in life lesbians perhaps.'

Connie paused and then nodded her approval. Bernie couldn't look at Raf. His mouth was twitching. He knew what she'd been up to last night.

'How does that work then?' He asked. 'How do you discover that when you're middle aged with children?'

He was trying to bait her but Bernie forced herself not to say anything.

'Bernie, your thoughts on the matter?'

Connie's voice broke through her silence. There was an odd smirk on her face, as though she knew what Bernie had been up to the night before.

'Yes.'

The silence seemed to tingle with disappointment by her less than enthusiastic response. She realised that she came across as prudish.

'It's a great idea' she said evenly. 'Perhaps ask for anonymous stories to give a diverse view of situations.'

Donna nodded, already thinking of how to approach it.

'Maybe if anyone here knows about someone who is willing to tell their coming out story, they can write it down to be published.'

Bernie was already composing hers in her head. It sounded atrocious.

'Bernie. Your feature?'

Connie's question snapped her back.

'I was thinking of interviewing other tourists about what attracted them to Menorca and what their expectations were of the area before they came versus what they have actually experienced.'

The lie tripped off her tongue so glibly that she wondered if Serena had taken over her brain with her confidence. She'd not thought of her article yet.

Connie seemed to like the idea.

'Get a wide demographic' she instructed. Bernie nodded and wrote everything down. She wondered how obvious it was that she'd just made it up.

Raf caught her eye and grinned. Bernie tried not to blush but it was impossible. He said nothing until they went outside on a pretend smoking break. Bernie routinely carried around a cigarette and pretended that she still smoked. The feel of a cigarette in her hand was soothing, she explained to him when he told her to just vape. He shrugged and took out his own.

'So, how long have you known Serena?' He asked.

'How long have _you_ known Serena?' She countered cheekily.

Raf smiled. Bernie kept herself to herself for the most part, it was very interesting catching her looking so flustered on Serena's doorstep this morning.

'I've been living there for three years. She's been there for seven. Her daughter drops in a lot. But I expect you know that already' he said slyly.

Bernie tried to ignore that. He answered her question as if he'd read her mind.

'She did have a boyfriend when I moved in. Some potato faced policeman called Robbie. But he was a bore and didn't like her family so she walked away from him. Ever since then she's been bringing home women from the lesbian club. Luckily the walls aren't too thin.'

Bernie's blush escalated and she sighed with irritation at the tell-tale reflex. Raf laughed good naturedly and told her that Serena didn't always kiss her conquests goodbye.

'I think she really likes you.'

'I don't think you can tell from one night.'

'I think she'll be calling you for another night.'

At the look of panic on her face, her reassured her that he meant a proper date.

'It's been well over a decade since I've been out on a date!'

'Trust Serena, she'll sort all of that out. All you need to do is show up looking devastatingly attractive. Which isn't hard for you.'

'What do you mean?'

He looked at her in disbelief.

'Do you not see yourself?'

Bernie looked down at her attire, thought of her face reflected in the mirror. What was she supposed to see?

'Whatever you're seeing, I don't know what it is, I've not been propositioned in a long time.'

'When was the last time?'

'That barrister, or a judge I think he was? Kept cornering me by the bar at my ex-husband's work function. Wine, dinner, office sex, that sort of thing. His colleague kept trying to interrupt.'

'Probably wanted you for himself.'

'But that was ages ago. Just before I got divorced. Before that, I can't even remember. Maybe that waiter at Heathrow airport?'

'No other women?'

'If there were, I wouldn't have noticed.'

'I bet loads of women were eyeing you up last night.'

'I doubt it' she scoffed.

'I bet you weren't looking.'

'No, I wasn't. I just went in there for a drink.'

'Did you even know it was a gay bar?'

'No.'

He spluttered with laughter.

'I know, I'm stupid. I should have realised.'

'When did you realise?'

'Just before I noticed Serena. It was like a lightbulb pinging above my head. Probably the strobe lights.'

'You're so old.'

'I know. I had no idea about any of the music. In my day, lesbians listened to KD Lang.'

'Still do.'

'I wouldn't know.'

'You were so taken with Serena that you never noticed any other woman' he accused.

'Most probably' Bernie acknowledged. 'I've never done any of that before.'

'Did you enjoy it?'

'Oh yes!'

'Then that's what matters. I'd say give her a call, get a proper date with her and give her another eyeful of your bum in those jeans.'

Bernie pursed her lips.

'Are you making fun of me?'

'Nah, with your legs, I think you'll hold her attention for a long while. Don't keep her waiting.'

Bernie thought about that slinky chestnut hair swishing in the night air, the spicy sweet perfume on Serena's skin, that crooked smile. She'd never met anyone like her.

Raf saw her face light up and knew what she was going to do.


	6. Chapter 6

Bernie was starting to think that her crush was taking over her life so much so that she was seeing her everywhere. When a hand tapped her on the shoulder and she turned around, she didn't know why she was surprised.

'Serena, hi. It's nice to see you.'

Bernie meant it. It had only been three days but Serena kept creeping into her thoughts and she couldn't push her away. Her WhatsApp had never been so busy.

'I'm just on my way to collect some tickets. I won them in a competition. Fastest crossword I'd ever done.' Bernie barked with laughter.

Serena smiled.

'Tickets that look like these?'

She produced an envelope from inside her blazer pocket and handed them over. Bernie ripped it open to see three tickets to Menorca and the details for the hotel. She gasped.

'I knew the tickets would be given to the winner today and you told me where you'd stopped for coffee so I thought I'd bring them to you.'

'You work at this travel agent?'

'I specialise in luxury holiday packages. My manager wants to promote a destination, she holds a competition to win a holiday. I put together the package. When I saw your name as the winner, it stood out to me. It's distinctive.'

'But we've never met. I never told you my surname. How did you know it was me at the club?'

'I didn't. But I saw your driving licence that morning.'

Bernie remembered digging around in her purse for her travelcard just before she left. Of course Serena had noticed her licence. 'When I knew it was you, I said I'd deliver it. A bit unorthodox but my manager let me.'

'You came from work to meet me?'

Bernie felt ridiculously happy at that.

'It's not a problem, I'm on my lunchbreak.'

Bernie stored the tickets in the secure pocket in her bag and told Serena that lunch was on her. She felt giddy and foolish in her feelings. Not having had experience of it before, she wasn't sure how to address it. They talked about anything but. Anyone who saw them would have thought they were good friends, yapping through bites of sushi about their jobs and families. Laughing about silly things, at ease with each other.

'Let me know how the holiday goes. Enjoy it.' Serena touched her arm as they said their goodbyes.

'I'll send you pictures. I'm using the holiday for a feature in the magazine.'

'I'll have to start reading it.'

There it was again. That flirtation, that spark between them blossoming. Bernie was starting to feel giddy again.


	7. Chapter 7

Although it hadn't been the case, Bernie had felt like Serena had tailored the holiday for her, giving her what she'd not had in years. Relaxation and luxury. Cam and Lottie had been able to run around and swim and eat everything to their hearts desire and Bernie had time to lie in the sun and actually read a book. She hadn't been able to finish a book after she'd become a mother.

Annoyingly, she wished Serena was there. She could have done with a couple of steamy nights with someone else in her bed. She took a sip of her iced tea. She really shouldn't be thinking of that when the children were around. She'd wake them up with her newfound vocal cords. Totally inappropriate.

She needed to get on with her feature. She started scanning the other guests.


	8. Chapter 8

'No real names, I promise.'

'I think people who know me would work it out anyway!'

Bernie laughed and tucked the envelope in her bag, delighted to have provided Donna with a start to her feature. She sighed and winced at a cramp rippling through her lower back.

Serena raised her eyebrows.

'My back hurts. I'm going to have to go home, slap on a heat pad.'

'Mine is closer. You can have my bed.'

Bernie explained that she'd fallen off a ladder a couple of years ago and her back had never been the same since.

'Same answer. Hoist yourself up the stairs and you shall get some rest.'

There was no point arguing with that.

She looked around while Serena took a phone call. Noted the photographs of Elinor and parents. None of the ex-husband. Serena had elaborated that her daughter didn't live with her. With no personal experience of dementia, Bernie didn't want to pry too much about her mother. She had shared some details of her own family experiences, things she hadn't shared with another person. That evening, they'd flopped on the sofa on the sofa with a bottle of wine and several bowls of crisps. Serena had told her about those dark days caring for Adrienne before her death. There had been a lot of sad silences. Bernie's thoughts were interrupted by Serena ushering her to her bedroom.

'Sorry about that. My darling daughter wants money again. Don't mind her. Come with me.'

Lying face down on Serena's pillow wasn't the worst scenario she could think of but the twanging in her back chased away any lurid thoughts. She heard a click, then a buzzing. Carefully lifting her head up, she twisted round to ask her what she was doing. In Serena's hand was an iridescent ribbed purple thing that looked like a rude part of a villain from Dr Who.

'I'm just giving your muscles a bit of a massage.'

Bernie looked suspiciously at her innocent face.

'Come on, relax and I'll give it a try.'

Bernie felt like an idiot as she did so. She was a little intimidated by the thing.

'It worked for my knee a while back.'

'Not reassuring, Serena.'

'Gosh, don't you have a lovely tan?'

'Stop it.'

She yelped as it was teased lightly over her skin, then sighed as it was pressed deeper into the muscle. Actually, it felt quite good. Bernie started to relax as a curious warmth spread around each area as Serena worked her way around her back. It was soothing and did seem to be helping a bit.

'How reassured are you now?'

There was a long pause.

'I think I might have changed my mind' came the muffled response.

Serena smiled.

'Excellent.'

Massage over, Bernie was presented with a hot water bottle. Gratefully warming her back with it, Bernie carefully rolled over to gently tug the other woman into her arms. It was the first time she got to play the big spoon and she liked it.

She pushed Serena's hair aside and traced the constellation of scarred dots across her upper back with a gentle fingertip. She wondered, not for the first time, how a mother could do that a daughter. She said as much to Serena but there was no comprehensive answer. _  
_

'She didn't know what she was doing.'

Bernie shifted her impatience aside with the knowledge of Adrienne's condition. She hated the thought of Serena on her own against an ailing mother and refusing support until the worst happened.

'If I had known that I would be stuck with her for three more decades I would have wished for her to go and my father to stay' said Serena, half joking. Bernie watched her twist the pendant of her necklace again. She always played around with it and now Bernie knew why. He had given it to her soon before his untimely death and she rarely took it off. She was far too much like him, a grumble Adrienne had repeated over the years. Bernie thought that if she'd had a mother like that, her patience wouldn't have lasted as long as Serena's.

'Parents do things you don't understand. You said you never understood what being a Brigadier meant when you were a child. He was just your father who was away a lot. And you've never spoken of your mother.'

'I don't remember her. She died when I was a year old.'

Serena pressed a kiss to her hand.

'I'm sorry that you had to go through that.'

'Well I didn't feel it at the time. My father had to deal with it.'

'Well you did, just as much. You must have felt as if something wasn't quite right. Especially when you had Cam and Lottie.'

'I felt lost when I had the kids. I didn't know what I was supposed to do. I felt so restless. Like I wasn't meant to be a mother.'

'I bet Marcus made you feel guilty about that.'

Bernie made a non-committal noise.

'He's a good father. We're just not suited to being married to each other.'

'Can't say Edward has been either. He's better off living under a rock.'


	9. Chapter 9

Bernie was clearing away when the doorbell rang. The children were with Marcus and she'd messaged Serena to come over.

'I'm not sure what to get rid of. I should get rid of the baby stuff but I don't think I can let go of this quilt.'

Serena assured her that she was an expert at decluttering.

'I started with my ex-husband and never looked back.'

Bernie snorted with laughter and tried to be discerning with what to keep. The baby quilts were put away safely. The clothes and jewellery were particularly tragic. She didn't wear much of it anymore, bundled to the back of the wardrobe. She barely recognised some of the fabric until she shook some out. A full skirted block striped pale blue sundress. Did she even still fit into it?

'Oh my word, what is this?' Serena's delight could hardly be contained. 'Is this a dress I see before me? Berenice Wolfe with a dress!'

Bernie scowled at it. 'I've not seen that in years. My 30th birthday dress from my father. Makes me look like I run the WI.'

'Have you ever made jam?' Serena was dying to know.

'Once. I burned it' Bernie confessed. 'I had to throw out the saucepan.' It was so endearing that Serena had to laugh, fingers touching her cheek affectionately. Bernie's skin burned at her touch. She ducked her head shyly.

'Try it on.'

'Why?'

'Because I've never had the privilege of seeing you in a dress.' There was that foxy glance.

Bernie rolled her eyes. Only Serena could convince her to…

'Put it on.'

Bernie reluctantly clambered into it. Zipped it up. Looked at herself in the mirror in disbelief.

'Well. It still fits.'

'Well, that's a pleasant sight after a long hard day' teased Serena. It was indeed. Bernie's bare legs were not used to being stared at but they were certainly shapely. She should have looked like a fish out of water. Instead she looked elegant. Serena told her to watch her manners and not to side astride a bar stool like she usually did, what a perfect lady she made. Wear it to the club next time. Bernie could only shake her head in embarrassment.

'I'll think about it.'


	10. Chapter 10

Bernie had vowed upon her divorce that her penis days were over. She had spent a lot of the time appeasing her husband with her mouth as it was clear that he wasn't happy with her lacklustre performance (mostly) on her back. She didn't blame him. But she just couldn't bring herself to lie to him, she just couldn't feel what he wanted her to feel. He sulked about it until she had mastered the art of sucking and licking how he liked it. She'd sit on the edge of the bed, close her eyes and tune him out, concentrate on the job at hand, never rushed it. A job was worth doing properly even if you didn't want to do it. She was sure her girl guide leader never meant in this context but she had to give Marcus something, had to act like a wife. In truth, it wasn't the worst thing she could think of doing. He handed over control, let her do whatever, just content that he was getting attention. She ran through her schedules, thought about procedures, pondered on what to get her rude mother-in-law for her birthday. Not once did she think about anyone else. There was no-one else to think about. She could never be attracted to anyone to cheat on her husband with. She'd never understood it.

Having easily kept to that vow for a few years, Bernie felt herself to be a bit of a hypocrite because she'd been enticed to spread her legs to rest them on the bedframe while Serena teased her with a very phallic toy, slowly slipping it in and giving her quite a different experience from the last time her nether regions had entertained something of that shape. To be fair, it had been a number of years since that had happened. This one vibrated. Bernie had eventually given in and told Serena of her vow halfway through her impending orgasm when said toy was then massaging some very delicate bits that hadn't been stimulated in a while. The answering laugh echoed around the room.

And when Bernie thought she'd had her fill, out came that little leopard print bullet that she'd seen earlier. Serena asked Bernie if she wanted to try something different.

'Everything with you is new, Serena' said Bernie admiringly, reaching out a hand to cup one of her breasts, rubbing her thumb over the nipple. She wouldn't have dared to before. 'I don't know what you'll persuade me with next.'

'Perhaps?'

Serena's finger slipped a little lower down and stroked. Bernie yelped and jumped slightly at the unfamiliar touch. She'd never had that proposition before.

'Do you want to?'

Bernie tried to collect her thoughts.

'Just a finger?'

She had to check. As much as she liked the other things, they all looked far too big for her to contemplate.

'Something better.'

Meticulously smeared with lube, the little leopard print bullet looked a little intimidating. Bernie shivered, not sure if it was anticipation or fright of the unknown.

'Have you tried it?'

'Oh yes. It's quite an experience.'

Silly question. Of course she had. Bernie had trusted Serena with her body so far and she'd had a better time with her so far than she'd ever had in several years of marriage with Marcus. She laid back and acquiesced, heart thudding with something she couldn't identify.

Serena leaned forward to kiss her forehead, making Bernie feel safe, while easing in the smooth instrument, just half an inch in. Bernie cried out softly at the sensation but she reassured her that it was fine. Serena waited until she got the nod. Another inch in and actually it felt fine. A little odd but that was to be expected. A little further, Serena clicked the button and the gentle buzz made Bernie gasp and twitch. Another click and another and Bernie started to really feel the vibrations. This time she didn't hold back as Serena continued attending to the rest of her with the other toy. It was almost electric, the way she was tingling and twitching, the delight mounting up and making her cry out in a crescendo, sounds that Marcus was never privy to hearing.

Serena thought she looked gorgeous; long arms above her head languidly clutching the pillows she was laid back on, that wide mouth emitting that endearing series of staccato sounds. They laughed when Serena knocked over the bottle of lube with her elbow, the clumsy scramble to get hold of it before it stained the sheets.

'I think you're enjoying this. You're quite the surprise.'

Bernie laughed breathlessly and panted out 'you've slipped a vibrator up my arse, how else am I supposed to feel!'

'I knew you had a bit of kink in you.' Serena's smile made her recipient shudder with pleasure, just as she caught hold of her silky hair and ran her fingers through it, oh so lightly scratching her scalp. Bernie just found another reason to yelp. By this rate she'd tear up the pillows. Still she could not bring herself to climax. Once it was clear she was exhausting herself in the effort to try, Serena ceased activity and slid her arms around her, kissed her gently.

'Don't force it. There are more reliable ways of getting there. I wanted to show you a few options that would stimulate you.'

Bernie felt a wave of exhaustion suddenly set in and slumped back into the pillows. Serena untangled herself from their embrace to tuck Bernie in. She switched off the lamp and went to clean and clear. When she slipped under the covers, Bernie was fast asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

'These are great. I had no idea how many older women have given up on men. It's much more of an option than I thought.'

Donna was flicking through the submissions for her new feature. Bernie hoped that her and Serena's weren't obvious. She knew Raf would guess but he wouldn't say anything. He was their cheerleader.

'Divorced middle aged men can be such bastards, can't they?'

Donna looked up in time to see Bernie's eyeroll on behalf of Serena and her ex-husband.

'Do you have any more friends that could contribute to the feature?'

Oh sweet Donna, not realising that some of the women who she was planning to feature were not so far away.

'I'll ask and see' fibbed Bernie. She didn't fancy going back to the club unless armed with Serena for protection. Ever since she'd met her, she had started to notice how other women looked at her. How had she never realised that before?

'Bernie?'

The ice-cold voice jolted her out of her head.

'Your article.'

The tension was suspended in mid-air. Bernie held her breath.

'Very good.'

The gorgon was smiling now.

'One of the best features you've written. Perhaps you should take more holidays.'

If only. But the feature was a success! Bernie restrained her smile as she replied.

'I'm glad you like it.'

She celebrated twice that week, once with Cam and Lottie with a Chinese takeaway and then with Serena at the weekend at their now favourite Italian restaurant.

'All thanks to you. I got a fantastic holiday out of it' said Bernie, clinking her glass. She liked the wicked glint in Serena's eye, it promised an entire evening of debauchery. But this time Bernie moved in first. Serena was very pleased to find herself gently thrown on the bed to be experimented on. Capturing Bernie's hand, she pressed them where she wanted them and progressively got louder as those clever fingers slowly caressed inside and out. Bernie waited for the right movement and leaned forward to apply her tongue to the place she'd been most curious about. Keeping the touch light and going with the motion of Serena's hips, she slowly withdrew her fingers and delved in with her mouth. It didn't feel as strange as she'd thought it would. It didn't take long to get into the groove. She would diligently improve on it but for her first try, Serena couldn't praise her enough.

'Wow. That was quite an experience.'

Serena chuckled.

'Did you enjoy it?'

Bernie played with strands of Serena's hair, fanned against the pillows.

'God, yes. I don't have the words to explain it but I can't wait to do it again.'

Serena sighed contentedly.

'I have managed to teach an old dog new tricks.'

Bernie's laugh made the bed shake. She was on a journey of discovery she hadn't even realised could be hers until these last few months. Never did she think she would truly enjoy sex. Especially as Serena was gently pulling her hair again. If Marcus had done that, she would have slapped him off and told him to stop being so stupid. But when Serena did it, it added to the pleasure. Serena's nails lightly ran down her back and she arched and cried out.


	12. Chapter 12

They didn't hear the door open until he was standing in front of them. They broke off the kiss to find an indignant ex-husband exclaiming his outrage.

'You're back early' was all Bernie felt like she could say. She knew their children weren't keen on their father's new girlfriend, but it was a bit overkill to come back so early.

'What the hell is this?'

'What does it look like?'

One look at his expression and Bernie sighed, resigned herself to explaining the situation earlier than she would have liked. With Serena straddling her on the chair, it was self-explanatory, but Marcus insisted on details. Cam and Lottie crowded in and looked fascinated as she explained that she and Serena were involved with each other.

'A word with you.'

Bernie reluctantly left Serena with the children. As soon as they went into the next room to argue, they gently interrogated her. They'd guessed that Bernie was seeing someone on the weekends and once they'd gotten over their surprise about who it was, had okayed it with a minimum of teenage disgust.

Over in the living room, Bernie was having less success.

'Was that really appropriate?' He hissed.

'It would have been if you'd let me explain in my own time. You just had to barge in' she seethed.

'You've been sneaking around our children.'

'Would you prefer it if I invited her over without explanation for Sunday lunch first?'

It was a sore point between them that Marcus had invited over his new girlfriend to meet Cam and Lottie without discussing it with Bernie first. He was still in his spiteful phase at the time. They had not taken it well.

'Alright, that was a bad move, you don't need to keep reminding me of it' he muttered.

'Look, you have your girlfriend and I have mine. I just needed time to decide how to approach it.'

'Since when have you been a lesbian?'

'Since now' she snapped.

Both of them were thinking it but neither wanted to say it, discovering one possible reason why their marriage hadn't worked out in the first place.

'Will you just be civil to her? We'll discuss this later.'

'Fine.'

'Fine.'

They hadn't missed the fighting.

Serena smiled at them as they marched back in. She held out a hand for Marcus to grudgingly shake and then started to work her charm on them all. Bernie had to admire her gumption.


	13. Chapter 13

'This one is you' said Donna, pointing it out.

'How did you know?' Bernie gasped.

Donna was grinning like a maniac.

'When you came in that day looking shifty. I knew you'd had a one-night-stand. Then you jumped when I mentioned my feature. I suspected when I read through these stories. Who is the other woman, do I know her?'

Bernie denied the last question. Raf chuckled and Donna pounced on him.

'You know who it is! Who is it?'

'My neighbour. I caught Bernie sneaking out of her front door that morning.'

'Raf!' Bernie was dismayed at everyone knowing her business.

'Oh come on, you had fun. You still are. You've told your ex, haven't you?'

'Well, yes. More like he walked in to find us snogging' she admitted reluctantly. The office erupted in hoots of laughter, even Connie's smirk wasn't as unfriendly as usual. Jasmine looked gobsmacked.

'Are you definitely a lesbian now then?' Donna checked.

'I suppose I am' she said with a smug smile.

Raf cheered. Bernie laughed.

'I didn't know you wanted me to be a lesbian so much!'

'It's nice to see romance blossom for Serena. And for you. You smile more.'

'Alright, that's enough of that' Bernie was embarrassed.

'Yes, let's wind it down and get back to work' Connie reminded them. 'Let's keep our private lives just that.' Sascha yipped his agreement. Or maybe he was just hungry. She called Bernie into her office.

'I have a new assignment for you.'

Bernie looked at the list.

'Cornwall?'

'Try a new angle.'

Bernie looked at her, wondering if she was saying what she thought she was saying. Connie's slight mouth twitch confirmed it to be so.

A couple's holiday in a bungalow in Cornwall? Serena would be up for that. She messaged her at lunchtime. Serena's response was a series of emoticons, a couple that Bernie struggled to decipher. She wasn't the most tech savvy.

' _How did you swing that?'_

' _Can't reveal my sources. But think about what to pack.'_

' _Already making space.'_

A red dress icon, a coffee cup icon and, what _was_ that? An aubergine icon? What did that even mean?


	14. Chapter 14

Gosh, she was stupid. Bernie knew what the aubergine meant now. Serena had used it on her the afternoon they got there. There were some complimentary things to be said about the bed. It had stood up to some very rigorous testing. She abandoned all thoughts as Serena's tongue took over her senses. Upside down.

'This is an improvement from my last couple's holiday.'

Bernie nestled further into Serena's neck; pushing away her hair from her shoulders with one hand and holding the ice cream inbetween them so they could lick as they liked.

'Let me guess, Marcus took you to Paris?'

Bernie confirmed the cliché with a chuckle.

'He didn't think the accommodation through. It was in a dodgy area of the city and covered in piss. He tried to find ways to impress me but spent more time scrapping with the drunks and waiters. We even argued halfway up the Eiffel tower. He was a bit annoyed that I ordered off the menu in better French.'

'Wanker.'

'Not the most successful honeymoon.'

'That was your honeymoon?'

Serena looked appalled. Bernie leaned back to observe the expression on her face.

'No wonder you've never been on another holiday alone with him.'

'Cam was born a year later so holidays were out after that. I might have been a bit drunk when that happened.'

'I don't blame you. What about Lottie?'

'I was definitely drunk when that happened. Things were already souring between us.'

Serena took a slurp of ice cream.

'Well cheers to getting out early. As soon as Edward committed his third strike, I threw him out and never looked back. Elinor is still annoyed about it but too bad.'

'He did the same thing three times?'

'No, I'm not that stupid. He cheated on me with a nurse, spent some of the money I put away for Elinor and then he showed up inebriated on the job. That was enough. Our honeymoon was even worse than yours, but he tried to make it up to me on another holiday to Kent. Waste of time and money.'

Bernie nicked the last of the ice cream and told Serena that they could consider this to be their first real couple's holiday.

Five attempts at a selfie later, they argued over which was the best one and sent it.

'Time for a walk along the sea before it rains?'

'Let's.'

It rained, they ran back, scrubbed each other under the hot shower and drank an entire bottle of red while organising the notes for the article. Bernie thought about what she needed to edit out to make the feature public friendly.

'Can't write about that. Or…that.'

Serena played with Bernie's dressing gown, slipping her fingers down further.

'Nor this' she warned playfully. 'Now how will your article be worded?'

Bernie was up for the challenge.


End file.
